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Friday, September 6, 2013

Gourmand preferences of two French ladies that exude style

The French are the epitome of chic. In fact, one could argue that they are the
ones that are solely responsible for the creation of all things pleasurable in
life. You don’t think so? Let’s run by some of them: gourmet cuisine,
world’s most distinguished fashion houses, beauté (which ranges from perfume to
cosmetics), philosophy, bistros and sidewalk cafés, and general joie de vivre.

French women in particular have always interested me. Far and wide, they are the only ones that
seem to have it all under control – beauty, fitness, looking gorgeous, eating
like queens yet staying slim, managing children, an active sex life, a career,
housekeeping… the list goes on. Throughout my life, I have
always wanted to emulate that feeling of total control I see in French women. The main reason is because I find that being
in control of everything I do in my life gives me peace of mind. I have found, satisfying our
own and our loved ones’ needs is what life is really all about.

While not affirming that French women are always in full control of their
particular situations (no one can do that, not even the French), they personify
the one culture that most closely comes to this ideal.

Turquoise is a colour not usually worn by Christine Lagarde, yetwith proper foulard, she looksmagnificient

Apparently, Ms. Baronne used to be fat and frumpy in her 20’s, but then she discovered la vie en rose de les Français and set out to a discipline of general life improvement.This particular book is written for women in their 60’s and older; and although I am in my early 40’s, I can only hope that if I am lucky enough to reach that age, I do so in my fittest possible way, looking and feeling great, and embracing life with gusto. There are two French women mentioned in this book that have
caught my attention: IMF Director and
ex-Minister of Finance Christine Lagarde, and France ex-Minister of Justice,
Muslim Rachida Dati. These are both
beautiful, stylish, powerful women who do not compromise and yet are able to
leave their own mark of distinction in their path. I have watched Christine Lagarde on
television a few times, but the one that most strikes my memory was during an
interview with Fareed Zakaria on his program GPS for CNN, when she was still France’s Finance Minister. She does not colour her hair, yet her gray
locks are always perfectly coiffed in a short bobby fringe. She has a minimalist style, which I find I am
favouring as well as I age, always dressed in high quality smart suits in
neutral colours. She wears her wrinkles
with ease and pride, and looks great and fit. A closer look at her personal life, I found she is a consummate swimmer, rarely drinks wine nowadays (although she's no teetotaler by any means), and favours vegetarian cuisine.

Rachida Dati has a more shaken story. The daughter of impoverish Algerian immigrants,
she has had some slips (especially of the tongue, confusing fellatio with inflation on national television, oops!), but as a woman of style I
find really no other like her within the public personalities of France in these day and age, not even Carla Bruni (with whom she is said to have had a few
high-strung encounters). Ms. Dati looks
the classic French modern woman. Her
strong personality comes through even in photographs. She is not only beautiful but looks sexy, and
in her mid-forties is my favourite French chic lady to emulate. She runs 1 1/2 hours several times a week to keep fit and enjoys champagne, caviar and jellewery. Certainly a girl's best friends. I can imagine her on Sundays, for instance, relaxing at home with several French newspapers, breakfasting on a Bellini, some exotic fruits, a croissant and a strong cup of coffee. But Rachida Dati is a hard-working, modern French woman, and during the week, even at intervals, nothing would preclude her from indulging in a nice kir while hard at work.

For your own version of a kir, just pour 3/4 glass of white burgundy wine and add 1 1/2 Tbsp. of crème de cassis liqueur. Mix and garnish with a lemon twist. Voilá a typical French cocktail for any time "just because", and even if, like me, you are hard at work.

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About Me

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and lived there during the first twenty years of my life. I've been living in the Sunshine State for over twenty years now, most recently in Orlando - the city of Disney.
I'm a Political Scientist and have traveled extensively as the true Saggitarian that I am. I love to experience new cultures through food and customs. In this blog, I aim to invite you to slow down and enjoy the pleasures of life in order to become the perfect, non-desperate hostess - mainly good food, wine, travel, great literature and entertainment with the people that matter to us. This is a blog about debauchery, so if you are not interested in self-indulgence, you might have to look elsewhere.
As far as my personal interests go, I have a sponge-like mind and absorb as much from the world around me as I can. I am mostly interested in everything French, the country's history, cuisine and traditions.
This blog is about dreams, projects and passions. Mine just as much as yours. I review products and places, and test recipes. I invite you to peruse and indulge...